1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to microwave ovens and, more particularly, to a microwave oven which has a simple structure, and steams food in a cooking cavity without having a separate steaming container.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known to those skilled in the art, a microwave oven is an appliance which cooks, using microwaves, food placed in a cooking cavity of the microwave oven. That is, when microwaves from a magnetron irradiate the cooking cavity and cause an arrangement of molecules of moisture laden in the food to be repeatedly vibrated, frictional heat is generated within the food and cooks the food.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional microwave oven includes a cabinet 1 which defines an appearance of the microwave oven. The cabinet 1 is partitioned into a cooking cavity 2 and a machine room 3. A door (not shown) is hinged to a front of the cabinet 1 to selectively open or close the cooking cavity 2. A magnetron 3a and a high-voltage transformer 3b are installed in the machine room 3. The magnetron 3a irradiates microwaves into the cooking cavity 2. The high-voltage transformer 3b applies high voltage to the magnetron 3a. A cooking tray 2a is provided in the cooking cavity 2 so as to be rotated during an operation of the microwave oven.
After the food is placed on the cooking tray 2a and the door is closed, the microwave oven is operated. At this time, the food placed in the cooking cavity 2 is cooked by microwaves from the magnetron 3a to irradiate in the cooking cavity 2.
However, the conventional microwave oven is designed such that the food placed in the cooking cavity 2 is cooked through only a microwave-heating operation, so that a steaming container must be additionally installed in the cooking cavity 2 so as to steam the food placed in the cooking cavity 2, thus complicating a use of the microwave oven and causing inconvenience to a user.